Chapter 8 No Way Out

Ivy’s POV The weight of their words pressed against me like a heavy chain. "No more cells. No more isolation. From now on, you stay with us." They weren’t letting me go. I swallowed hard, my mind racing. This wasn’t about claiming me as their mate—not really. This was about control. They wanted me close, not because they cared, but because I was something they weren’t ready to lose. Even if they had treated me like nothing before, I was something to them now. And I didn’t know if that made things better or worse. I forced myself to take a deep breath, keeping my voice steady. “And if I refuse?” Kieran chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s cute, sweetheart. But you don’t really have a choice.” My stomach twisted. “I do have a choice. You don’t own me.” Elias’s expression didn’t change, but his voice was quiet, firm. “We aren’t giving you the chance to leave again.” Ronan stepped forward, his golden eyes burning into mine. “We’re keeping you safe.” I let out a dry laugh, shaking my head. “Safe? You locked me in a cell.” Ronan’s jaw tightened. “That was a mistake.” “Oh, really? And now I’m just supposed to trust you?” I snapped. “I was nothing to you before. Why should I believe anything has changed?” Elias’s piercing blue gaze met mine. “Because it has.” My chest tightened. The way he looked at me—like I was something precious—sent shivers down my spine. I hated that I wanted to believe them. I hated that my wolf believed them. But I couldn’t forget. I wouldn’t forget. I straightened my shoulders. “You’re not keeping me here.” Kieran smirked. “Oh, but we are.” I clenched my fists, heat rising to my cheeks. “You can’t just decide this for me.” Ronan exhaled sharply, his voice low. “We aren’t deciding—we’re protecting you. You think we don’t hate how we treated you? We do. But right now, none of that matters.” I frowned. “And why is that?” Kieran’s smirk faded. “Because Selene isn’t done.” My blood ran cold. Elias spoke next, his voice even. “She’s already tried to get rid of you once. If we let you go, she’ll try again. And next time, we might not be there to stop it.” I shook my head, my heart pounding. “That’s not my problem.” Ronan’s gaze darkened. “It is your problem, Ivy. Because you’re our mate. And she knows that.” My breath caught. Selene had spent her whole life believing she would be the future Luna. She had manipulated the pack, twisted the triplets around her little finger, all to secure her position. If they claimed me, that future was gone. I looked between them, my stomach twisting. “Then reject me.” Silence. I squared my shoulders. “If I’m such a problem, then just reject me. Make it official. Break the bond.” My voice wavered, but I forced myself to meet their eyes. “Then Selene won’t have a reason to see me as a threat.” Ronan’s golden eyes flickered with something unreadable. “No.” I clenched my jaw. “Why not?” Kieran let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it. “You really think we could do that now?” “You did it before,” I shot back. Elias spoke, his voice quiet but firm. “That was before we knew what you meant to us.” My chest ached. I wanted to scream at them, to tell them how cruel it was for them to change their minds now. They didn’t get to decide when I mattered. I took a step back, wrapping my arms around myself. “I don’t want this,” I whispered. Ronan exhaled slowly. “We know.” Kieran’s smirk had disappeared completely, his blue eyes unreadable. “But that doesn’t change anything.” I hated them. I hated the mate bond. I hated the way my body reacted to their closeness, the way my wolf yearned for them even as my mind screamed in protest. I wasn’t ready for this. I didn’t want this. I turned my gaze to Ronan. “What happens now?” He hesitated, then said, “You stay here. With us.” My stomach twisted. “And if I try to leave?” Elias’s expression darkened. “Then we’ll stop you.” I swallowed hard. “So I am a prisoner.” Ronan flinched slightly, but he didn’t argue. Kieran sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, sweetheart. You can fight us all you want, but at the end of the day, you’re ours. Whether you like it or not.” I forced back the lump in my throat. I needed to get out of here. I needed a plan. For now, I would play along. For now, I would let them think they had won. But I would never belong to them. And when the time was right, I would run. I sat stiffly on the couch in the triplets’ private quarters, my arms crossed over my chest as I stared at the flickering flames in the fireplace. The tension in the room was suffocating, pressing against my skin like a heavy weight. I wasn’t a prisoner. But I wasn’t free either. They had made that clear. “You’re staying with us.” The words kept repeating in my head, over and over, like a cruel reminder that my choices no longer mattered. Ronan, Kieran, and Elias were nearby, their presence filling the room with an energy I couldn’t ignore. They weren’t speaking, but they were watching me, waiting for me to snap, to fight, to react. But I wouldn’t. Not yet. For now, I would play along. I needed time. If I wanted to escape, I had to be careful. I had to wait for the right moment. “You’re awfully quiet,” Kieran finally said, breaking the silence. His voice was smooth, teasing, but I could hear the edge beneath it. I didn’t look at him. “What do you want me to say?” He chuckled. “I don’t know. Maybe something other than that death glare you’ve been giving us for the past hour?” I clenched my jaw. “What do you expect? You took me from a cell and locked me in a bigger cage.” Ronan, who had been leaning against the far wall, exhaled slowly. “You’re not locked in.” I turned my glare on him. “Oh? So I can walk out of here right now?” Silence. I scoffed. “Exactly.” Elias, who had been sitting in one of the armchairs near the window, finally spoke. “You don’t understand, Ivy.” I let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, I understand just fine. You rejected me. You made it clear I was nothing to you. And now, suddenly, you’ve changed your minds, and I’m supposed to just accept it?” I shook my head, my voice shaking. “It doesn’t work that way.” Kieran’s smirk faded slightly. “We never said we expected you to forgive us overnight.” I clenched my fists. “Then what do you expect?” Ronan pushed off the wall, his golden eyes locking onto mine. “To keep you safe.” I let out a humorless laugh. “From Selene?” Elias’s expression darkened. “Yes.” I shook my head. “Why do you even care? You don’t want me.” Ronan’s jaw tightened, but before he could speak, Kieran sighed dramatically. “This conversation is exhausting.” I turned my glare on him. “Then leave me alone.” He smirked. “Not a chance, sweetheart.” I gritted my teeth, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. My body was still weak from my time in the cell, my muscles sore, my energy drained. But I refused to show them any weakness. I needed to be strong. I needed to be smart. Because if they thought I would sit here and let them control me, they were dead wrong.